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Scarlet Crusade
The Scarlet Crusade is a religious organization dedicated to the eradication of the undead. They are a major adversary of the Forsaken, and several quests in Tirisfal Glades involve attacks on Scarlet Crusade troops, leaders, and strongholds. The Scarlet Crusade maintains several bastions throughout the former lands of Lordaeron, namely the Scarlet Monastery, Hearthglen, Tyr's Hand, the fortified cathedral of Stratholme and several smaller camps and watchtowers spread all over the area. General thumb|The symbol of Light, Scarlet Crusade's variation. The Scarlet Crusade is a faction of humanoids, based in the remains of Lordaeron, whose members are bent single-mindedly on wiping all undead from the face of Azeroth. Many of the Scarlet Crusade's members are former Knights of the Silver Hand who personally witnessed loved ones struck down by the Scourge only to rise up again as mindless zombies, attacking friends and family. The flames of these experiences have been fanned by the Crusade's leadership to the point of zealotry approaching madness. Crusaders kill anyone they believe to be undead, any mortal they believe may soon be undead, any mortal they assume to be carrying the plague, mortals who stand between the Crusade and undead, and mortals who may sympathize with undead -- the latter being the way Crusaders tend to interpret any criticism of their methods. Crusaders are the sworn enemies of not only the Scourge, but also the Forsaken, despite the fact that the Forsaken hate the Scourge as much as the Scarlet Crusade does, and for many of the same reasons. Though the Crusade's ranks are mostly human, it is not openly welcomed by the Alliance. However, its mission appeals to most within the Alliance, who generally agree that the undead need to be removed from Lordaeron so her citizens can return home. As news of the Crusaders' rising madness compete with tales of their good deeds and names of heroes amongst their ranks, especially the less informed peasants of regions far away from former Lordaeron still view this organization as a stalwart defender against the undead threat. In part, this is true, as the Crusade has indeed rescued refugees and defended civilian settlements in the Plaguelands many times, including a project to re-settle villages that have been destroyed by the Scourge during the war. Also, Scarlet Crusaders are protecting the Solliden Farmstead and its inhabitants, making it one of the few places in northern Lordaeron where the native farmfolk have survived to this day. Generally, the actions of the Scarlet Crusade are tolerated out of ignorance, and both the Alliance and the Church of Holy Light distance themselves from the Crusade's activities officially, but without trying to interfere. In fact, the Scarlet Crusade, who counts both the Alliance and the Church amongst their allies, maintains contacts to both by several emissaries - examples can be found in the Cathedral of Light in Stormwind and in the Alliance outpost of Nijel's Point. Nevertheless, the Scarlet Crusade has killed countless refugees fleeing the horrors of the Scourge, regarding them as possible carriers of the plague or even undead sympathizers, and their growing zealotry has started to make the Crusade enemies all over Azeroth. Most Crusaders tend to think that anyone unassociated with their cause should have no business in the Plaguelands and thus is behaving suspiciously if he enters this region. Travelers are advised to stay clear of Scarlet Crusaders regardless of whether any undead are in the party. The Scarlet Crusade can be friend or foe, but it is generally the enemy of anyone who cannot prove that he or she is alive — qualifications and interpretation being subject to change without notice. A lot of Crusaders seem to suffer from a dangerous form of paranoia, since they had to learn that every human might possibly be a disguised undead. After Isillien was nearly assassinated by his own page, the Inquisitor stated that if there are any doubts regarding an individual, it would be better to assume it's an undead and kill it rather than risking infiltration. The same goes for plague-infected refugees, since up to this day the priests and paladins are still unable to cure them. Although this strategy may (rightly) seem gruesome, it has successfully prevented the plague - and with it, the Scourge - from expanding all over Azeroth. Despite its excesses, the Crusade is a powerful force in the eastern kingdoms, having already destroyed several undead strongholds in Lordaeron. They are expected to continue battling until either the Scourge are driven from Lordaeron or the Crusade itself is destroyed. History of the Crusade thumb|A Scarlet Crusader After Sir Uther Lightbringer was betrayed and killed by his former apprentice Arthas, the Order of the Knights of the Silver Hand was decimated by the Scourge's undead armies and ceased to exist. The few surviving Knights of the Silver Hand remained in Lordaeron, destroying what undead they could. Among the survivors were the high-ranking officers Isillien, Abbendis and Mograine. They recruited warriors to their holy cause of eradicating the undead. They were soon joined by the paladin Taelan Fordring, one of Isillien's protégés, who offered his family's keep and lands as a base of operations for the Crusade. After a month-long quarantine of the warriors and priests to ensure that there were no Scourge infiltrators, the Scarlet Crusade began hunting the undead in earnest. Abbendis took most of the Crusaders with her to Tyr's Hand in the Eastern Plaguelands, from which the Crusade struck at the undead controlling the city of Stratholme, once the headquarters of the Knights of the Silver Hand. Not long after its formation, the Crusade attempted a strike against the Scourge base in Northrend. They built a fleet specifically for that purpose. The attempt failed, although the Crusaders reached as far as the mouth of Icecrown Glacier. There were many casualties among the high ranks of the Crusade, including its first and only Grand Admiral, first Captain General and first Chief Assassin. There are those that claim that the Scarlet Crusade now has a more sinister purpose, that it is being used for darker reasons than the honorable - if misguided - cause of clearing the Plaguelands from the taint of the Scourge. This may be correct, as not only was Highlord Mograine betrayed and murdered by his own son, Scarlet Commander Renault Mograine in a pact with Kel'Thuzad, but also the Crusade is actually headed by the Dreadlord Balnazzar, disguised as (or possessing) the Grand Crusader, Saiden Dathrohan. Some Crusaders who have begun sensing the corruption within the Crusade have left the ranks of the order to found the Argent Dawn. These warriors are generally regarded as traitors by the Scarlet Crusade, especially since the Argent Dawn also counts Forsaken amongst its ranks - but Kel'Thuzad's recent assault on Azeroth has forced the two organizations into a reluctant alliance with each other. Both sides have been able to shelve their mutual dislike in order to fight back the new horrors of the Scourge in Naxxramas, but tensions are high and there is only a superficial allegiance between them. Organization The ranks of the Scarlet Crusade have been estimated at more than ten thousand. Membership is comprised chiefly of humans of the warrior, paladin, priest and mage classes, together with the occasional dwarf or high elf. The Crusade is organized along military lines. High General Abbendis commands the military operations, while Grand Inquisitor Isillien leads the priests in the questioning and torture of suspected undead. Most Crusaders are based in Tyr's Hand where Isillien has declared the Eastern Plaguelands to be the focus of the Crusade's attacks. In the ruins of Stratholme the Scarlet Crusade has established a more or less permanent foothold from which it wages constant battle upon the Scourge within the city. They also maintain a stronghold at Hearthglen, and in eastern Tirisfal Glades the Scarlet Monastery serves as a training and research center. Crusaders that have battled undead rise quickly through the ranks. Dissent is not tolerated, for the Crusaders cannot understand how any reasonable human might be opposed to the Crusade's actions against the undead. As a result, while the Crusaders may not be in complete agreement over how they accomplish their goals, they are kept in line by fear of their superiors' wrath. Speculations Interestingly, whereas Commander Marjhan points out the cooperation of her troops with the Argent Dawn is not sanctified by the Grand Crusader, she also makes clear that she is not acting on her own but has been sent to help. Since Isillien is already dead at this point, this leaves only High General Abbendis as a possible source of this order. It might be that the General is now starting to secretly work against the Grand Crusader, maybe influenced by the recent death of her long-time partner Isillien and/or a rising suspicion against the Grand Crusader. Bases of Operation * Tyr's Hand, in what is now the Eastern Plaguelands * Hearthglen, in what is now the Western Plaguelands * The Scarlet Monastery, in Tirisfal Glades * The Scarlet Bastion in Stratholme Notable Members of the Scarlet Crusade Leadership, Upper Echelon * Grand Crusader Dathrohan * High General Abbendis * Grand Inquisitor Isillien Leadership, Lower Echelon * Highlord Taelan Fordring * Crusader Lord Valdelmar * Demetria Priestly Branch * High Inquisitor Fairbanks * High Inquisitor Whitemane * Brother Anton * Brother Crowley Military Branch * Scarlet Commander Marjhan * Scarlet Commander Mograine * High Protector Lorik * High Protector Tarsen * Captain Melrache * Captain Perrine * Captain Vachon * Herod * Cannon Master Willey * Houndmaster Loksey * Huntsman Leopold * Huntsman Radley * Cavalier Durgen * Meven Korgal Others * Archivist Galford * Arcanist Doan * Rohan the Assassin * Interrogator Vishas * Foreman Jerris * Foreman Marcrid Category:Factions Category:Organizations Category:Lore Category:Scarlet Crusade